Gum recession is oftentimes one of the many early signs of periodontal disease and if ignored, it will eventually lead to severe oral health issues. If you feel that your gums are receding, it’s best for you to know what your treatment options are.

For those of you whose gums have only receded just a little bit, a deep cleaning done by your dentist is more than enough treatment. However, for more severe cases, oral surgery may be the only way to repairing your gums:

Gum grafting. One common type of oral surgery used to treat gum recession is gum grafting. This procedure is where periodontists take tissue from another area of your mouth and uses it to cover the exposed areas of your tooth and its roots. The tissue typically come from the palette of your mouth, but it may also come from a tissue bank.

Pinhole Surgical Technique. Unlike gum grafting, the Pinhole Surgical Technique, is a much more modern approach that produces natural looking results. The main difference between the two procedures is that it is less invasive – the procedure doesn’t involve any cutting or stitching. During the Pinhole Surgical Technique, a needle is used to poke a small pinhole into the patients gum tissue. A special instrument is inserted into the pinhole, where they loosen and shift the tissue to cover up the exposed root.

Of the two procedures, the Pinhole Surgical Technique is slowly becoming the more popular option to repair gum recession. While both procedures are equally effective, many prefer the Pinhole Surgical Technique due to the fact that it leads to much quicker recovery time and less chances of post-operation complications.

If you’d like to find out more about receding gums treatment options, contact Dr. Gary Wetzel at 717-761-8611 to schedule a consultation today. Or visit www.wetzelperio.com for more information regarding dental hygiene.

Pioneered by Dr. Chao, the Pinhole® Surgical Technique is a fascinating new way to repair gum shrinkage without having to use a scalpel or stitches. This new technique will not only be less-evasive, but will also reduce discomfort and down time. In fact, you can eat dinner that night!

It sure sounds too good to be true, right? Since you probably have a lot of questions, here are some of those frequently asked:

What is the Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique? The Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique is a way to repair gum shrinkage through a pinhole in the gum without having to cut.

Is this condition common? We see a lot of patients that need gum rejuvenation, but don’t realize it.

Before this procedure, would people rather live with the problem instead of getting it fixed? Because the previous gum grafting procedure was very painful and drawn out, most just try to ignore it, or try a temporary fix.

How long does a standard gum grafting procedure take? Since it requires cutting out a graft of the gum from the palate and grafting it to where it’s needed, it takes about an hour for just one or two teeth, but recuperation lasts about two or three weeks.

What makes PST different? The key to the Pinhole Surgical Technique is the pinhole entrance, which is made by a needle, making it completely non-invasive. Then the tissue is shifted down and stabilized with collagen strips. In fact, the tiny pinhole shrinks away by the next day.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique, contact Dr. Wetzel in Camp Hill, PA at 717-761-8611 to schedule an appointment today or visit our website at www.wetzelperio.com for more information.

Dr. Wetzel proudly welcomes patients from New Cumberland, Harrisburg, York and Carlisle.

<The Pinhole Surgical Technique is a fascinating advancement in the dental field. Pioneered by Dr. Chao the Pinhole® Surgical Technique is a fascinating new way to repair gum shrinkage through a pinhole in the gum without having to cut. This new technique will reduce discomfort and down time. In fact, you can eat dinner that night!

You probably have a lot of questions as to what the Pinhole Surgical Technique is, here are some frequently asked questions:

What is the Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique? The Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique is a way to repair gum shrinkage through a pinhole in the gum without having to cut.

Do you see this all the time? We see a lot of patients that need gum rejuvenation, but don’t realize it.

Before this procedure, would people rather live with the problem instead of getting it fixed? That happens to a lot of people because they are put in a dilemma of whether they should fix it with a very painful, drawn out gum grafting procedure, just try to ignore it, or try a temporary fix by placing a filling on the exposed root.

How long does the standard gum grafting procedure take? The standard procedure requires cutting out a graft of the gum from the palate and grafting it to where it’s needed. This creates two surgical wounds that patients have to deal with. To delicately cut and remove the graft tissue and attach it with sutures takes about an hour to an hour and a half for just one or two teeth. This requires the patient to recuperate for about two or three weeks.

What’s the key to the procedure? The key to The Pinhole Surgical Technique is that we don’t have to perform graft. We go through a pinhole which is made by a needle, so there’s no scalpel or cutting at all. Then we can literally shift the tissue down with very little trauma to the tissue. Also, there are no open wounds. It’s so minimally invasive; nothing could be more noninvasive in dentistry than this. I know that if you’re not used to seeing things like this it seems like it’s quite traumatic, but really it’s very, very minimal. There’s so much blood supply and so much collagen in the area that when you see the patient the next day, you can hardly tell if anything was done. The tiny pinhole that’s been made shrinks away by the next day.

So, you just move the collagen around, correct? I’m just moving the gum tissue which has abundant collagen in it. The collagen strips that I put in are used it to stabilize the gum flap. The collagen causes the body to regenerate more collagen tissue, so it serves a dual purpose.

How long will this last? This is expected to be permanent, and last as long as any other procedure. Nothing is forever of course, because there the normal aging process goes on. However, if everything is healthy and there is no over-brushing, it will last for years and years(Source Dr. Chao & pinholesurgicaltechnique.com).